Certain antibiotics having antineoplastic activity -- for example, adriamycin and related compounds -- are known in the art. Adriamycin is described as being obtained by a microbiological process in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,028 to Arcamone et al. Certain semi-synthetic procedures for making these compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,124 also to Arcamone et al. Certain synthetic intermediates -- in particular, those directed to the preparation of daunomycin and 4-demethoxydaunomycin -- are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,760 to Bernardi and Patelli. Other related compounds are disclosed by Patelli et al. in Belgian Pat. No. 830,090 assigned to Societa Farmaceutici Italia S.p.A. A total synthetic route to daunomycin is disclosed in application Ser. No. 632,939 of the present applicants with another co-worker now U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,381 and a related synthetic sequence directed to the 4-demethoxydaunomycin and, inter alia, dimethyl-4-demethoxydaunomycin are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,457 of May 3, 1977 to the same applicants.